White House briefs social media influencers on Ukraine crisis

Leading White House and National Security Council officials held an briefing on Thursday with some 30 influential social media content creators about Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to a White House official.

The briefing included content creators who have been covering Ukraine on their social media channels such as TikTok, YouTube and Twitter. The briefers provided content creators with an overview of the latest information on Ukraine, projected how the US views the conflict, and answered questions, according to the official. The Washington Post first reported the meeting.

The White House official said that digital creators have produced explanatory content about Ukraine, generating millions of views and providing information about the crisis to younger generations in particular. As the Russian government has begun paying TikTok creators to produce pro-Kremlin propaganda content, arming content creators with real information and answers can be a critical tool, the official said.

“A staggering number of people are learning about the invasion of Ukraine through digital creators who have begun to cover it.” Rob Flaherty, White House Director of Digital Strategy tweeted Friday. “We take it very seriously and are working to make sure that these creators have the ability to respond to their q.”

Some of the digital creators who joined the briefing used social media to share what they learned.

“Here are the three most important moments of the White House meeting that I and a lot of other creators just attended,” posted content creator Marcus DiPaola, who has 3.5 million followers on TikTok. . “First, if Russia uses chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the United States will take progressive steps. We don’t know what that means, but it won’t be good for Russia. Second, Russian troops are not happy about that. “In the third place, Russia will not be able to advance in this war. Russia will not win in Ukraine. Things have gone so badly for them that it is no longer possible.”

– Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.